Submission Guidelines

Chelsea Green publishes books by authors who bring in-depth, practical knowledge to life and give readers hands-on information related to organic and regenerative farming and gardening, ecology and the environment, healthy food, local economies and resilient communities, and integrative health and wellness.

Before you submit a query or proposal, please browse our website, look closely at our titles to see the kinds of books we publish, and carefully review our submission guidelines.

We welcome inquiries from authors and literary agents. Regrettably, we are unable respond to all submissions. Query letters and proposals that do not follow our guidelines are unlikely to be considered or acknowledged.

Chelsea Green specializes in publishing books on:

  • Organic gardening and market farming, from home- to professional-scale
  • Regenerative agriculture and permaculture with an in-depth, how-to approach
  • Food politics and local and global agricultural movements
  • Animal husbandry and draft power
  • Nature, ecology, and the environment
  • Functional medicine, herbal medicine, and food as medicine
  • Cutting-edge science interpreted for lay readers
  • Political and economic books with an original vision for a better future
  • Place-based environmental narratives
  • Fermentation, cheesemaking, baking, and other how-to approaches to food production
  • Cookbooks with unique, innovative approaches to cuisine
  • Renewable energy and energy conservation
  • Natural building
  • Simple living

We seldom publish books that are:

  • Regionally focused
  • Academic (although many of our books are adopted for academic courses)
  • Agricultural and gardening-based but do not promote organic methods
  • Self-help manuals
  • Popular topics covered by many other books
  • Offering top-down political policy prescriptions
  • Anthologies

We do not publish:

  • Novels
  • Poetry
  • Children’s books

To submit a query for consideration:

Query letters should be a 250- to 500-word overview of your book’s topic, along with information about you as an author (who you are, why you are the right person to write this book, evidence that you will be able to complete a high-quality manuscript in a timely fashion). You may include your query in the body of an email or attached as a Word or PDF document. If we think there is a reasonable chance that we might pursue your book, we will request a full proposal.

To submit a proposal for consideration, include the following items in a single Word or PDF document:

  • A cover letter summarizing your book that explains the major ideas it includes, why it is important, and why you want to write it at this time. If possible, include a projected word count range and tentative timeline for completing your manuscript.
  • Biographical material about you, in particular as it relates to your promotability as an author, previously published writing, public speaking experience, your online presence, and honors or special achievements.
  • A brief preliminary table of contents for your book (i.e. a list of chapters).
  • An expanded preliminary table of contents with one- or two-paragraph summaries of each chapter.
  • Market research, including:
    • A short list of books on the same or a similar topic that you feel are aimed at a similar readership to your book. For each book you list, please briefly evaluate it: state why the book is appealing and worthwhile—or not. If a book is on the same topic as yours, please explain how your book will be different. Focus on books published in the last five years, but if there are important older titles that are still popular or considered the best in the category, it is fine to mention those.
    • The scope of your target audience, including who they are specifically and why they will be interested in your book.
    • Other countries where demand for your book might be significant.
  • Publicity and marketing plan, including:
    • A description of your vision for promoting and selling your book.
    • Statistics that help us understand your online platforms and following (Twitter, Substack, Facebook, Instagram, website readership, etc.).
    • Details about your own mailing list or newsletter and/or other contact lists that you could utilize for promotion (for example affiliated organizations and associations).
    • Connections with media outlets and publications that you anticipate will cover your book.
    • Any influential individuals who you are connected with who would potentially endorse and help promote your book.
    • Events and venues where you have been or will be invited to speak or teach.
    • Specialty sales opportunities, including businesses, non-profits, or groups that may want to buy larger quantities of your book and specialty catalogs or stores that don’t usually sell books but might be interested in yours.
  • Details of your art program, if you plan to have one, including types of images (photos, line illustrations, charts/graphs, or other); an estimate of how many of each type; and whether you envision the art program in color or black and white. If your book features photographs or illustrations, please send a representative sample as separate files. Do not embed images in your proposal Word document. If your images are very large, please send them to us via Google Drive or a file transfer service such as WeTransfer.com.
  • Two sample chapters.

Delivery

If you are in the US, email materials to [email protected]. If you are in the UK, email materials to [email protected].

  • For a query, include the word “query,” your last name, and the book title in the subject line, e.g., “Query—Jones—Nature vs. Nurture.”
  • For a proposal, include the word “proposal,” your last name, and the book title in the subject line, e.g., “Proposal—Jones—Nature vs. Nurture.”

Response Time

Due to the volume of submissions, response time can take several weeks. Thank you for your interest in Chelsea Green Publishing.